Wayne and his wife, Clare, who says her life will never be the same after losing Wayne to cancer

But three years later, Wayne, from Sedgley in West Midlands, began to deteriorate.

After visiting his doctors, the dad of two was shocked to discover a mass was found on his previous scan and he required urgent care.

By this time, surgeons told Wayne his tumour was inoperable and despite undergoing chemotherapy to treat his cancer, the doting dad died.

Now, the GP practice – Ridgeway Surgery in Sedgley – has agreed to pay a six-figure settlement to his wife, Clare, after his scan results were filed away.

Clare, 45, a sales assistant, said: “My life will never be the same, I cannot accept that Wayne’s fate lay on a piece of paper for three years.

“He was forgotten about and it wasn’t until he went back in pain that alarm bells started ringing.

“Wayne was shocked when his doctor asked if he’d had any follow up appointments as he’d never been contacted after the initial tests.

The letter had been filed and we were never told about the polyp growth. I know everybody makes mistakes, but this is a huge mistake to make.

Clare Evans, Wayne's wife

“His tumour had been left to grow for three years and by the time they tried to operate, it was far too advanced and he died in 2013.

“If it had been removed when he had the first tests, it’s likely he would be cancer free today and we wouldn’t have such a gaping hole in our family.”

In a legal case against the practice, medical negligence specialists Hudgell Solicitors alleged that the tests in 2008 – which showed the abnormal growth – had been wrongly filed away at the GP practice after being sent from Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley.

Clare says life for her and their daughters Natasha, 23, and Chloe, 19, will never be the same again, and is speaking about the loss of her husband in the hope it will encourage others to keep on at their doctors if they feel something is wrong.